Kelly Moffat and Laura Moffat, founders of the clothing brand, Kirrin Finch, join Cheddar News to discuss their menswear-inspired brand made for female and non-binary bodies

Between Bells

Menswear-Inspired Brand For Female and Non-Binary Bodies

Welcome back Between Bells everyone. This segment is brought to you by jpmorgan Chase, advancing equality for the L G B T Q plus community and celebrating pride all year long shopping can be an intimidating task, especially for those who don't necessarily find pleasure in that chore or can never find something that works for them. However, one conscientious brand is on a mission to bridge the gap between gender defying fashion and finding something that works. The clothing company aims to create menswear inspired apparel designed to fit a full range of female and non binary bodies. Joining us Now to discuss is the Brooklyn based company of the founders of the brand, Karen, Finch laura and kelly Moffett Guys, welcome to the show so excited to have you Laura. I'll start with you first off tell our reviewers what inspired your clothing brand. Yeah, great question. So it was 2014 and Kelly and I were getting married and we were looking for clothes for our wedding and it was a really, really frustrating process. You know, we looked things off the rack. There was nothing, we looked menswear women's where there was nothing, we ended up getting custom suits made for our wedding, which was an amazing experience. And you know, we felt so confident, so comfortable on our day. But I think that sparked the idea in our minds that there was an unmet need for clothing that people like us could wear, that we could find that we could find that wasn't necessary custom, that wasn't something that was like specialized. Um, and so that was kind of the idea that sparked the brand. And you know, that's kind of where we've come to today kelly. Why was it frustrating for you to find clothing prior to creating this brand? Yeah. I mean, we would walk into the men's section, we would see the styles that we liked, but they weren't designed for, you know, our chest, our hips, you know, our bodies. And so we really, we saw we wanted, but it wasn't fit for us. And laura, the name of the company is inspired by characters who embraced the tomboy spirit. I love that. So how does society expect females to act and impact? How does that impact your mission behind this brand? Yeah, I think it's really challenging if you don't necessarily fall into that specific gender binary. Right? So as a woman, you're supposed to wear super feminine clothes, you know, to accentuate your curves, right? And for people like us, that's not necessarily what we want to do. Like we want to be able to wear clothing that makes us feel really comfortable that. But at the same time, we don't want to walk into the men's section and have somebody say like, hey, sorry, the women's section is over there. Right? It just kind of felt that there wasn't a place for us kelly in today's world and I, you guys know this as well as I do Tiktok and just other social media platforms is making a lot of people truly embrace who they are, How is the brand playing a role when it comes to that process to ensure customers receive the best fitting garments as possible? Yeah, I think that the we've spent a lot of time in the design process and thinking about how our garments will will fit properly, but I think it's not just about the fit, I think it's about the whole experience, it's about when you come to us, you know that it's a safe space, you're we're going to, you know, ask you what your pronouns are, we're going to, you know, provide a space where you feel empowered to dress in an authentic way laura, I have to ask what's the reaction been like from customers. Yeah, I mean, I think that's the most amazing thing about this business, right? Like running a business is hard, right? There's lots of ups and downs, the pandemic was challenging, but I think what brings us back and keeps us going kind of every day is hearing those customer stories, It's the story from the, You know, the non binary kid that's going to their prom that finally found clothing that made them feel special. It's the person that's, you know, 50 years old that finally find clothing that made them feel who they are and are having a complete transformation of their life because of it, right? And it's the person that went to their job interview you know, and felt so confident and so amazing that they got the interview. So it's like all of those moments that we hear back from customers that are so special because at the end of the day, like, yes, it's clothing, it's just fabric, it's just there to keep us warm to cover us up or whatever. But it's not just clothing, it's so much more clothing impacts how you feel, how you behave, how people, how people perceive you. And so yeah, we are a clothing business, but we're also in the business of making people feel happy, feel authentic, feel confident. This question is for the both of you and kelly, I'll start with you. What does pride mean to you? Yeah, I think Pride Month is a space that gives a platform to, you know, stories that haven't been historically told and you know, like ourselves and and other brands, we do this every day. But I think it's about creating acceptance for folks. It's about storytelling. It's and it's about pushing the ball forward, right? And you know, when we started this business, there were significantly less businesses that were catering to this audience and, you know, Laura and I today we've seen so many new companies go into this space and, and really, um I think that we've seen a shift in hopefully continues to happen, but how big businesses are also treating pride and how it's, you know, it's not just about slapping a rainbow on it. It's about how are we as a society moving forward with LGBTQ rights And it's it's really talking and speaking with the folks that are doing this day in and day out. Well, we love having you both on. I love what you guys are wearing. I can't wait to research this brand more. Thanks to the founders of Brand, Karen french laura and kelly Moffett and Jpmorgan Chase is committed to supporting the LGBT Plus community and advancing financial equality for all, visit Jpmorgan Chase dot com slash l g b t to learn more.